Whats the legal drinking age in Europe?

Question

I'm going to Europe this summer and I'm only 17 so...can I drink?

I'm going to England, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and Turkey next summer and I'll be 17...can I drink?

Answer 1

Drinking age in Europe is 18.

Alcohol use by youth is an international phenomenon. The 2003 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) surveyed 15-year-olds in 35 European countries where legal drinking ages are lower (typically ages 16–18) than in the United States. The ESPAD questions were similar to those used with 10th graders in the U.S. Monitoring the Future study. In all European countries except the predominantly Moslem nation of Turkey, a greater percentage of 15-year-olds drank alcohol than in the United States; and in more than three-quarters of the countries, a greater percentage reported drinking to intoxication in the previous year than in the United States.

SOURCE: http://www.espad.org/reports.html

The legal drinking age in Germany is 16, though kids must wait until they're 18 to drink spirits. That five-year difference to the US, where the drinking age is 21, appears to be significant. In Germany, the price of alcohol in relation to the general costs of living is among the lowest in Europe.

Answer 2

When I visited Amsterdam, my dad was asking around for information. Regular spirits were legal to those over 14, and hard liquor was available to those over 18, I think. On the trip I went to 9 different countries, the largest including England, Germany, Italy, France, and Switzerland. I was 16 at the time and, if I had had any interest, I think I could have ordered an alcoholic drink.

Answer 3

You can drink low-alcoholic beverages like beer or whine products and some "alcopops" (as we call ready-made liquor-lemonade cocktails in Germany - bacardi breezer, smirnoff ice). The drinking age for these is 16 and you do not have to be accompanied by an adult. You are not yet (in any case) allowed to drink liquor or cocktails (18y), but usually in bars they don't ask for your I.D. Just try, but be careful! ;) The legislation is pretty much the same in Continental Europe: France, Spain, Italy, Austria and the BeNeLux.

Usually it is o.k. (not fine, but o.k.) to have your drink on the street. In some countries (e.g. France) it is not allowed to drink in public in the nearby of monuments, ministries, churches, etc, but tolerated in the nearby of "nightlife hotspots". Just look what other people do. You should take care of "binge drinking"; people can get somehow aggressive and annoying, especially towards girls and women.

Unfortunately I'm not quite sure how the British handle this and when you may drink in Scandinavian countries.

I would recommend just to ask in a Supermarket or in a bar (which you can enter usually).

Answer 4

It's 3 1/2

Answer 5

Depends not only on the country, but on what you drink. Beer is usually a lower age than the hard stuff.

Answer 6

It varies by county. I was 15 when I went to France...and i bought three bottles of wine. Yahoo search "drinking age by country"...i bet you'll find something good.

Answer 7

Depends on the country.
I only know about Ireland where it's 18,
and Germany, where it's 16 if you are accompanied by an adult who is in charge of you, otherwise 18.

Answer 8

Well over here (malta)... you could get in a bar or club when you're 16... so you can drink at that age (which is quite young in my opinion).

Answer 9

It's 18 just like in the rest of the world. Just in a country called U.S.A. is 21!

Answer 10

It's something crazy like as long as your head is over the bar top, then you can order a drink!

But seriously, it's either seventeen or eighteen. I think it's eighteen.